As a student, you probably prefer to spend your Friday nights relaxing from all the studying and having some fun for a change. Parties can be a great way to unwind, clear your mind, hang out with your friends and make some new ones. However, organizing one can be quite a challenge if you live in a dorm, so we’ve come up with a few tips that will help you throw the best party ever.

Prepare the room

The first thing you need to do is clean your room. Nobody wants to sit in a dirty room, but more importantly, you don’t want your things to get broken or “disappear”. Also, by cleaning your room before the party, you’ll make the after-party cleaning much easier. Besides cleaning, you should also clear the middle area so that there’s room for dancing, and get a few extra chairs so everybody can have a place to sit.

Don’t forget about the RA

First of all, keep in mind that your RA is not trying to get you or anybody else in trouble – they are just doing their job. The truth is, most of them won’t care about your party as long as you’re keeping it under control. Of course, being on their good side will surely help, but if they do happen to have a zero-tolerance policy towards parties, your safest bet is not to get noticed; keep it small, short, and not too loud. Finally, if you do get caught, don’t argue – it can only make your college life more complicated, and you don’t really need that.

Decide on the size of the party

Again, don’t invite the whole floor if you want your party to last more than five minutes. Also, you never know who can show up and what they can bring if the word spreads about it, so it’s best to keep it limited to your closest friends and neighbours and ask them not to invite anybody else. A smaller party is also easier to control, but if any of your friends happen to have some unresolved conflicts, tell them to either leave the negativity outside the room or resolve the issue before coming to the party – the last thing you need is girls crying in the bathroom or guys getting into a fight.

Get everything you need

Needless to say, your party needs food and drinks. You can order a pizza, buy juice, and get some snacks like chips and pretzels. If you want to spice it up a bit, you can buy good vodka online and mix it with different kinds of juices. Cranberry, orange and blueberry are good choices if you want to mix. Make sure you have some beer as well, and as a host make sure no one overdoes it. That’s kinda your job. Since something will probably get spilled eventually, make sure there are plenty of cups, napkins and toilet paper. It’s also a good idea to have cards so you can play games that don’t necessarily involve drinking. Just don’t forget to make a playlist beforehand if you don’t want to spend the whole night browsing YouTube or Spotify.

Don’t party too hard

Since you are the host, it’s your duty to stay the least drunk. You should remain aware of what’s going on around you, especially if somebody else does get hammered. Keep the emergency numbers at hand and don’t hesitate to help your friends if needed, regardless of whether we’re talking about a ride to the hospital or a taxi ride home. Also, you can’t exactly stop your friends from getting drunk, but you can stop them from doing stupid things they would regret the next morning; two wasted friends making out might not be such a big deal, but if you notice them trying to leave together, step in. Safety comes before fun, and there will be a better time for that.

When it comes to organizing a dorm party, it’s important to plan ahead, prepare everything you need, and be responsible. If you keep your party relatively quiet and your friends safe and entertained, your party will be one of the best parties ever – which some of your friends might not remember, but you surely will.

Roxana is a travel enthusiast and lifestyle consultant from Sydney and she loves to write about her adventures. She is all about the healthy lifestyle, loves to run with her husband and dogs and has fun cooking exotic meals for her family. Being a typical Aussie, she often hits the waves and loves beaches and sunshine!